Dutch studio RAAAF operates at the crossroads of architecture, art and science - but their latest project looks more like a sci-fi shelter out of a Batman movie. Called Secret Operation 610, this futuristic prefab ship can slowly roll to any desired location. Created in cooperation with Frank Havermans Studio, it functions as a research station for studying nature, technology and aviation.

Secret Operation 610 resembles a stealth aircraft but is completely flightless. Built within an old military airbase called Airbase Soesterberg, its monstrous design revives the dark atmosphere of the Cold War in a curious way. Walking at an excruciatingly slow pace, it uses caterpillar tracks to traverse the neglected runway of its test site.

The sci-fi-like research station has space to comfortably seat 12 people inside, while the old runway offers the perfect test site for locomotion experiments. That is why students at Aerospace / CleanEra from the Technical University of Delft are planning to use it for an innovative project called “no noise, no carbon, just fly,” examining future possibilities for flight (or not) in the 21st century. Secret Operation 610 was originally designed for last year’s edition of Vrede van Utrecht, a peace festival in the beautiful city of Utrecht.